Air-moistening device.



D. J. FOX.

Au'iMoxSTENlNG DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, '19| 7.

Patented July e, 1918. 7 {ga/52.7-

,g77-Ws- /NVEN TDR y piston. yAs the piston operatin DAVID J'. FOX, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AIR-MOISTENING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, i918.

Application led April 7, 1917. Serial No. 160,422.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be'it known that I, DAVID J. FOX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Meistening Devices, of' wh-ich the following-is a specification.

This invention relates to means for sup` plying water vapor to they intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, the water mitting an induced flow of air into said' vapor space as re uired by the Withdrawal of air. and vapor t erefrom.

The inventionhas for its chief object to enable the induced fiow of air to forcibly contact with water in the reservoir and atomize the water, thus facilitating the formation of vapor.

To this and other related ends the in'ven.`

tion consists in the improvements which I will now proceedv to describe and claim.

Of the accompan ing drawings.v forming a part of this speci cation,"

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a p0rtion of an internal combustion engine embodying my improvements.`

Fig; 2 is a sectionalview on a. larger scale than Fig. 1, showing the water reservoir, the exhaust manifold, and the intake manifold in transverse section.

Fig. 3- is va longitudinal section of the water reservoir on a larger scale than Fig. 2. y Fig. 4 is a plan view of the baffle plate hereinafter described.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In'the drawings, 1() is a portion of an internal combustion engine provided with the cylinders 11, in each of which is the usual mechanisms of the .engine are of the usua construction, and form no part of the present invention, it is believed unnecessary to show their construction indetail. I

. A carbureter 12 of any well known construction is provided, with the outlet there from communicating with the intake inanifold 13 through which the hydrocarbon mix; tureis delivered to the cylinders 11. The engine is also provided with an exhaust manifold 14 through which the products of combustion escape from the cylinders 11.

15 represents a water reservoir which may be a cylindrical sheet metal tank, having in its upper portion a filling opening surrounded by a bushing 16, enraging a cap or closure 17 which is preferably hollow and forms the receiving end of an auxiliary air conduit through whichV a. iiow of air into the cylinder may be induced, as hereinafter described.

The upper portion of the reservoir has an opening surrounded by a fitting 18 formingthe receiving end of avapor conducting suction pipe, said fitting being internally tapered and having an internal screw-thread at its smalle-r end, engaging a threaded 'coupling 19 with which is connected one end portion, either of which is adapted `-to receive a screw 27 engaging the ear 24.

The upper straps and the saddles embrace the reservoir, and the saddles and lower straps embracethe exhaust manifold, said lower straps being rendered adjustable by the holes 26, screw 27 and ear 24.

At every down stroke of either `of the pistons in the cylinders 11, a partial vacuum is created in the manifold 13, so that vaporladen air is drawn from the vapor space in the reservoir and mixed with the hydrocarbon fuel passing to the cylinders. A fiow of air into the cylinder is thereby induced, and the air is caused, in accordance with .my

invention, to forcibly contact with and reservoir, in such manner as to provide an ample supply of vapor.

Referring to Fig. 3, 3() represents an elbow-shaped Water-atomizing air conduit, the substantially vertical receiving end of which is at the top of the reservoir and communicates with the atmosphere, while its substantially horizontal delivering end isl below said top and arranged above a body of water in the reservoir, said delivering end being preferably directed toward the receiving end of the vapor conducting suction pipe. 3l represents a w'ater conduit in fixed relation to the atomizing air conduit 30, and arranged to guide water upwardly from the body in the reservoir into the path of atomizing air delivered by the air conduit 30,.`

The action of the suction pipe causes air to rush through the atomizing conduit 30, and at the same time raise water in the conduit 31. The conduits 30 and 31 constitute an atomizer, the air delivered by the conduit 30 impinging on the water delivered by the conduit 31, so that a jet of air and atomized water is discharged into the space above the water in the reservoir, an ample supply of .vapor being thus provided.

I prefer to interpose between said atomizer and the receiving end of the suction pipe means for intercepting water in the liquid state and permitting the passage of air and vapor.4 As here shown, I have embodied said means in a deflector 33, having an orifice 34 to permit water in the liquidstate to passdownward, and abafe plate 35 provided with slots 36 (Fig. 4) and interposed between the defiector 33 and the end portion 18, said plate intercepting Water in the liquid stateand permitting the passage of vapor.

37 represents a tube constituting an auxiliary air conduit connected with the cap 17 and extending downwardly therefrom nearly to the bottom of the reservoir. When air-laden vapor is Withdrawn from the reservoir by the suction pipe, air rushes through the auxiliary air conduit, and is delivered below the surface of the body of water, so that' the air passes through the Water and takes up vapor in rising therethrough to the vapor space, an additional supply of vapor being thus provided.

The aggregate capacity of the air conduits 30 and 37 is greater than the conducting capacity of the suction pipe, so that the entire volume of air admitted is greater than the volume of vapor-laden air withdrawn..

through the suction pipe. Air is therefore maintained at atmospheric pressure in the reservoir, with the following useful results: first, the liability of collapse of the reservoir walls by pressure of the atmosphere thereon is prevented, and second, the vapor is diffused uniformly through the air space of the reservoir and drawn from all parts thereof by the suction pipe. lBy thus dividing the air supply, I am enabled to so reduce the cross-sectional area of the atomizing conduit 30, that the atomizing jet of air has greater atomizing efficiency than would be possible if enough air were admitted through the conduit 30 to maintain the-air in the reservoir at atmospheric pressure. The conducting capacity of the suction pipe may be determined by a removable disk 40 having an aperture 41, different disks with different sized apertures being used interchangeably. The air conduit 30 may be provided with an outwardly closing springpressed check valve 42, adapted to open inwardly.

I claim: An air moistener for an internal com- -bustion engine, comprising a water reservoir,

a suction pipe having its receiving end' connected with the upper portion of the reservoir, and its delivering end connectible with the engine, an atomizing air conduit extending through ,the upper wall of the reservoir and open tothe atmosphere, said conduit, having a delivering portion located -aobove the Water space in the reservoir, a

.Water conduit associated with the, atomizing conduit and having its receiving end in saidV Water space, and its delivering end above sald space and in t he path of air delivered by the atomizing conduit, nand an signature.

DAVID J. FOX.

llio 

